This invention relates to a restraint and protection seat for an infant, in particular, to a restraint and protection seat for an infant, which is disposed on a vehicle seat of an automobile, an airplane, or the like. This kind of seat is securely fixed on the vehicle seat by a webbing of a seat belt device for an occupant restraint and protection device.
An infant sitting in the restraint and protection seat is restrained and protected by an infant restraint and protection system such as an infant seat belt device integrated with the restraint and protection seat.
For instance, a seat belt device is furnished in an automobile, an airplane, or the like to hold an occupant during driving or in flight. A seat belt device can protect the occupant against an impact at sudden acceleration or deceleration. But such a seat belt device does not effectively protect a child, in particular, an infant. Because the belt length and the like are formed depending on a body size of an adult.
Therefore, many kinds of restraint and protection seats have been proposed and used in the past. The restraint and protection seat for an infant in general use comprises a seat main body having a seat surface disposed on a seat frame made of resin having high rigidity wherein the seat surface is disposed on a base mounted on a vehicle seat, and an infant seat belt device for restraining the infant sitting on the seat main body from moving. The restraint and protection seat is fixed and supported on the vehicle seat by a webbing of the seat belt device furnished to the vehicle seat.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective rear view Showing a conventional restraint and protection seat for an infant 50. FIG. 1 shows a condition that the restraint and protection seat for an infant 50 is fixed and supported on a vehicle seat (not shown) by a webbing W of the seat belt device 51.
The description will now be briefly made as regards the structure of the seat belt device 51 for an occupant restraint and protection (the seat belt device of this type is known by the name of three-point style seat belt device) shown in FIG. 1.
The seat belt device 51 has usually one webbing W and forms a shoulder belt 54 and a lap belt 55 when withdrawn. An end of the webbing W is fixed to a vehicle floor or the like by an anchor 56 and the other end of the webbing W is wound and accommodated in an emergency locking retractor 57 (it will be called ELR hereinafter). The ELR 57 winds the webbing W by spring force of a coil spring integrated in the ELR 57 to retract the webbing W into the ELR 57. The ELR 57 locks the webbing W not to be drawn out only when an impact is applied.
The ELR 57 prevents the webbing W from being drawn out by the locking mechanism at an impact to restrain the movement of the occupant. Under normal conditions, a winding drum within the ELR 57 is held by a return spring having weak winding force so that the webbing W is allowed to be drawn out from the ELR 57 without restraint.
The description will now be briefly made as regards means for fixing and holding the restraint and protection seat for an infant 50 on the vehicle seat by means of this three points style seat belt device.
A base main body 63 has a base unit 60 mounted on the vehicle seat (not shown) as shown in FIG. 1. The base unit 60 is provided with the seat frame 61 having an L shape and disposed recliningly by a slide rail (not shown). The seat frame 61 is covered by a seat cushion 62.
As shown in FIG. 1, the seat frame 61 has side walls 61a and 61a on the right and left sides of the seat frame 61 to define the movement of the infant, a seat portion and seat back 61b disposed between the side walls 61a and 61a. Each of the side walls 61a and 61a has a belt guide hole 64 in a substantially rectangular shape, respectively, to insert the webbing W into the belt guide hole 64. The shoulder belt 54 and the lap belt 55 are inserted into the belt guide holes 64 and 64 and the tongue portion 53 is connected to a buckle unit 58 positioned near the vehicle floor, so that the restraint and protection seat for an infant is fixed to the vehicle seat.
Since the ELR 57 is not in the locking state under a normal driving condition, the webbing W is easily drawn out and shifted even if the tongue 53 is connected to the buckle unit 58, so that there is a possibility that the restraint and protection seat for an infant slips out of the vehicle seat.
Usually, in such a restraint and protection seat for an infant, the webbing W is turned back at the position of the tongue 53, and a locking clip 70 is attached to the webbing W near the tongue 53 to connect an end of the shoulder belt 54 and an end of the lap belt 55 of the webbing W together. Friction is generated between the shoulder belt 54 and the lap belt 53 by attaching the locking clip 70 to prevent the lap belt 55 from loosening. Therefore, the restraint and protection seat for an infant 50 is securely fixed to the vehicle seat in place by the lap belt 55.
For preventing the locking clip from being lost, instead of using locking clip 70, the seat frame 61 may be provided with a slit above the belt guide hole 64, which allows the webbing W to be inserted and has a clip mechanism.
The restraint and protection seat for an infant as mentioned above has a seat frame which is generally structured as an integral construction, so that the restraint and protection seat is structured in relatively large size. Therefore, it is difficult to attach and remove the restraint and protection seat for an infant or in carrying.
For solving the above mentioned conventional problems, the inventor of the present invention has already filed an application (Japanese Patent Application No. 322094/1991) disclosing a restraint and protection seat for an infant which is provided with a hinge between a seat back and a seat portion to be folded up as the seat back covers the seat portion. According to this application, the restraint and protection seat for an infant can be easily carried. Furthermore, by using a seat back rotation controlling unit having a locking mechanism, the seat back is set and maintained at a predetermined angle during normal usage, and maintained in a folding condition while the restraint and protection seat is folded.
The restraint and protection seat for an infant of this kind is also fixed and held to the vehicle seat by using the seat belt device.
However, the restraint and protection seat for an infant having a rotatable seat back does not have the seat frame 61 such that the seat portion and seat back is integrated. Therefore, there is no possibility that this type of restraint and protection seat provides a belt guide corresponding to the large belt guide hole 64 formed in the side portion 61a of the seat frame 61. The webbing is hooked around the seat unit and base unit which construct the seat portion. The locking clip or the like is then attached at the lower portion of the whole to prevent the webbing from loosening so that the restraint and protection seat is fixed. Therefore, it is difficult to attach the restraint and protection seat for an infant to the vehicle seat.